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The Highly Educated KSP Player - legends in our own minds? (Updated OP 16 January 2018)


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B.Sc. (Technology) in biotechnology 2013 (majoring in molecular biotechnology and diagnostics but they don't call it that officially anymore, everything is just biotechnology) University of Turku, Finland.

M.Sc (Tech) in the works, only need to finish up writing my thesis and graduate before christmas. Same major and university as above.

Also a physics dropout, studied for 2 years in university, started hating it, took a break before switching majors and now I kinda miss it...

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The Ph.D . In 2012. Sorry, I forgot ;) (I think that counts as the M.D.)

Check out your entry and see if you can help me fill in the extra information.

B.Sc. (Technology) in biotechnology 2013 (majoring in molecular biotechnology and diagnostics but they don't call it that officially anymore, everything is just biotechnology) University of Turku, Finland.

M.Sc (Tech) in the works, only need to finish up writing my thesis and graduate before christmas. Same major and university as above.

Also a physics dropout, studied for 2 years in university, started hating it, took a break before switching majors and now I kinda miss it...

Added; and included a "life happened" descriptor. :cool:

Nothing solid yet, but Computer Engineering is what has my interest at the moment.

Gotcha... it's added.

Failed out of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia, back in 1990. Since then I've just been a grunt

Definitely a "life happened moment...

B.S. (Deans List) - Aviation: Professional Pilot - Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah

Thanks, you're added. Gotta graduation year?

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I was studying for a Bachelor's in Aeronautical Science and would have gotten a commercial pilot certificate had I finished. I logged a couple hundred hours of actual flight time and still have a pilot certificate (been a long time since I last flew though)

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I was studying for a Bachelor's in Aeronautical Science and would have gotten a commercial pilot certificate had I finished. I logged a couple hundred hours of actual flight time and still have a pilot certificate (been a long time since I last flew though)

I put you down in the "Life Happened" category, but did make note of you being a real pilot! I've always wanted get mine. :)

Graduated in 2013

Got it, added...

Planning to attend University of Nebraska, Kearney in 3 courses, Business and Computer Sciences, as well as Astrophysics.

Great dreams! Here's to hoping you do well. :confused:

Just a tiny thing: "life happened" is a great way to avoid piling judgement on someone's situation. Good on you for doing that.

Thank you. Sometimes things just happen that are beyond our control... and as my grandfather always said... "and then life happened..." which is what gave me the inspiration for the category. It doesn't mean that anyone was any less able to handle college, but that something came along and a hard choice had to be made. In my experiences, there are times those hard choices teach us more about ourselves than we could have ever learned from traditional educational means, such as higher education. And there's nothing wrong with that. :D

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  • 1 month later...

Well, I'll freely admit I flunked out of college. Not really because I'm stupid (this is not to say I'm extra smart or anything, but I don't count myself as stupid, per se) but because I was lazy and disinterested. In retrospect it might have been better to simply stay in the workforce (where I was not lazy and disinterested) rather than rack up some debt I didn't really need but I have no regrets because I actually learned quite a lot while there. Had I applied myself I have no doubts I could have graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science. I'm doing quite well for myself though, have a job I love making a decent sum (that I love) living in a area I love with a family I love.

Some people excel in an academic environment; that's the best way they learn. Others learn best in different ways. I try my best to not judge others based on their level of education but by the smarts they exhibit to me through the course of normal interaction. I've met a lot of smart people who have never been exposed to a higher academic environment.

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Planning to enter university. Not sure if that counts for the purposes of this thread. If it does, put me in.

also what does life happened mean

It simply means that while in college, something happened that forced you to make a major life decision. I was lucky. Life happened and I was given a second chance. If you know what university and planned field of study, I will be happy to include you.

- - - Updated - - -

Well, I'll freely admit I flunked out of college. Not really because I'm stupid (this is not to say I'm extra smart or anything, but I don't count myself as stupid, per se) but because I was lazy and disinterested. In retrospect it might have been better to simply stay in the workforce (where I was not lazy and disinterested) rather than rack up some debt I didn't really need but I have no regrets because I actually learned quite a lot while there. Had I applied myself I have no doubts I could have graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science. I'm doing quite well for myself though, have a job I love making a decent sum (that I love) living in a area I love with a family I love.

Some people excel in an academic environment; that's the best way they learn. Others learn best in different ways. I try my best to not judge others based on their level of education but by the smarts they exhibit to me through the course of normal interaction. I've met a lot of smart people who have never been exposed to a higher academic environment.

You're added to the life happened category. Don't worry, I think I have your share of the student debt taken care of. Also, you're a success story - you are happy doing what you are doing AND you with a family you love. Very few find that kind of happiness and success. Heck, it's taken me three marriages to get the family I've always wanted... My hat is off to you! :wink:

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In my experience, lack of degrees is frequently a bonus. No terrible habits and preconceived notions to unlearn before actually becoming productive..
On the flip side, actual experience cures most everything by which point the degree actually makes a difference. But you're right, from what a lot of my colleagues have said a degree can be an initial cost to overcome. Really depends on how much the company considers people an investment rather than a mere asset. Academics can provide a good foundation and advanced concepts that help once the "bad habits" are unlearnt.
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In my experience, lack of degrees is frequently a bonus. No terrible habits and preconceived notions to unlearn before actually becoming productive..

Unfortunately, I've also seen people get passed over for positions they deserve just because, even if they obviously have the skills, they don't have the piece of paper.

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I graduated from high school* in May but haven't started my uni studies yet as my entrance exam scores were too low and I didn't get in. Going to try again next spring. I'm planning to get a bachelor's in information technology**. Not sure about the master's because there are so many interesting things and I haven't decided yet. Stuff like computer science**, game design and production, automation and electrical engineering, space science and technology and so on. I'll be applying for Aalto University in Espoo, Finland.

* High schools in Finland are basically the same as US colleges but there are no degrees on different subjects. Instead, everyone takes (mostly) the same final exams (a student has to participate in at least 4 exams, one of which has to be Finnish. For the other three, they can choose between Swedish, a foreign language, math and any other subject). Once a student graduates, they will receive a diploma and can then apply for universities and polytechnics.

** "Information technology" in Finland is what Americans would call "computer science" - mostly programming. Computer science, on the other hand, builds on IT and adds advanced subjects like security, interactivity and web services.

E: I guess this makes me an aspiring dreamer? I is confuse. Or maybe I'm under the "planning to enter college" category, assuming "college" is the same as "university".

Edited by CaptainKorhonen
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It has been amazing seeing how many different academic backgrounds that players of KSP have...
In my experience, lack of degrees is frequently a bonus. No terrible habits and preconceived notions to unlearn before actually becoming productive..
On the flip side, actual experience cures most everything by which point the degree actually makes a difference. But you're right, from what a lot of my colleagues have said a degree can be an initial cost to overcome. Really depends on how much the company considers people an investment rather than a mere asset. Academics can provide a good foundation and advanced concepts that help once the "bad habits" are unlearnt.

I'm loving this thread, not only for the information but also these conversations. More people should join in!

My wife sometimes asks me if I've ever regretted graduating in Mathematics. That's because it's a pain to get a job. I mean, I can do many things companies need, specially in these days of "big data" and "business intelligence" and a host of other buzzwords; but I have to convince them of that myself. No company is actively hiring mathematicians, the jobs are for staticians and computer engineers.

I don't regret it, however. I landed a job that is (fairly) satisfactory, and I wouldn't trade a better one for all the wonderful things I've learned. Math is my passion, and I apply it anywhere and everywhere.

A Master's degree would have been a major boon, and I wish I'd achieved it, but by then I had found out I cared more for the Master's diploma than the actual content I was learning (with some exceptions), and I started living alongside the politics inside academic life, so my motivation dropped and I couldn't complete it.

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Not got a university (college) degree and have very poor A levels as well. Declining health made it difficult to study though I did do 2 years of a mechanical engineering course before having to drop out ill.

Now... unemployed and been looking for a job for over a year with no success. Having a gap since education with no qualifications or work experience to show for it puts any employer off, even for something like a shop job.

I've got to come close to taking the cake for least educated person on this forum...

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